Los Angeles
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Tara Lynda Gruber, Leah Kalish and Aya Peard teach yoga to children in South Central Los Angeles., a gritty, inner-city area of gangs and poverty. Their students are mostly black and Latino five to twelve-year-olds and they aim to teach them about balance and taking time to stop and recharge.
Their classes take place at Los Angeles' Accelerated School and 270 students receive 45 minutes of free instruction once a week. Ninety per cent of the children qualify for free or cheap school meals.
The women say that the yoga has led to 'noticeable' improvement in classroom and playground behaviour in those who take part as well as better concentration and leadership skills at school.
Faynessa Armand, The Accelerated School's staff representative, says teachers were sceptical at first and she thought it would all be too 'New Age'but now they are all convinced that yoga helps the children greatly.
Their classes take place at Los Angeles' Accelerated School and 270 students receive 45 minutes of free instruction once a week. Ninety per cent of the children qualify for free or cheap school meals.
The women say that the yoga has led to 'noticeable' improvement in classroom and playground behaviour in those who take part as well as better concentration and leadership skills at school.
Faynessa Armand, The Accelerated School's staff representative, says teachers were sceptical at first and she thought it would all be too 'New Age'but now they are all convinced that yoga helps the children greatly.
